Today when it’s perhaps more fun to travel by plane or train, many of us might have forgotten how wonderful it is to travel by automobile.  The automobile changed the way America lived.  By 1910 there were about 500,000 vehicles in the United States.  It wasn’t just the large manufacturers like Henry Ford and Ransom Olds.  Many large towns had their own auto manufacturers.  Automobiles were fast, comfortable nice to drive and ever ready. No longer did you have to hitch a team to take a quick trip to town.  I’ve hitched teams and let me tell you there’s nothing quick about it.  But going out and starting an automobile is all about fast.

This was a postcard and unfortunately there were no identifiers of who is who on the back of it.  This photograph came out of a trunk with Jennie May Woods Bosque’s memorabilia in it. Jennie May is the beloved sister to our Bertha. She married Earnest Bosque of Streator and perhaps this photograph is of his family.   I wonder if it was a brighter photograph when it was first taken and time and light faded it. Many photographers traveled and would take photos with whatever individuals desired.  Automobiles were a popular choice as they were new and everyone who had one was proud of it.   And it’s a practice that continues today as we all like to take photos with our cars.